I wasn't going to write a Confession short, but Eanelinea got me thinking and something shook lose and this is what tumbled out. Its very rough, I'm sorry. I don't think I like it, but it's how i see things going so it's part of the story now.

“That's it, that's the plan.” Former Imperial Agent Adris Westan crossed his arms and swiveled to lean against the holo terminal, very specifically and carefully avoiding the raging gaze of his crew. Well, only one of his crew was raging, and he had no remedy for it.

“So. This all hinges on me. On...” Brei'yu Kodrevas left the thought unfinished. Westan hadn't explained to Kaliyo, Vector, and Raina exactly what it was Brei'yu was going to do, he'd only left it very clear that it was up to her and her alone.

“You're the only one that can. It's why I...” Westan bit off his sentence too late and sighed. He'd just made his night harder. Miserably, he flicked his eyes to her, expecting the shock of cold fury, the sharp breath before she laid him open with words. To his dismay, and ever growing misery, she only gazed back distant and slightly empty. She looked hurt. He'd hurt her feelings. What the hell was happening?

He watched her turn her back on him and panicky confusion welled up in his chest. “Brei'yu,” he began, unsure what else was going to fall out of his mouth at that moment. This wasn't like her, very unlike the spitfire woman who shrugged entire worlds off her shoulders.

She interrupted him, her voice as heavy as stone. “You obviously have my role all figured out for me. We going to do this? Or is there a part two to this conversation?”

Westan felt his hand grope the air in front of his chest even as his mind grappled with itself to find the words to fix this. But when he remained silent, she shook her head and walked to the door. “Change your clothes, Vector. If this is going to work you're going to need to look less royalty and more like you just got out of the shower. Kaliyo, where's that lightsabre you lifted off that dead Sith apprentice? Don't give me that look, I know what you did.”

Kaliyo couldn't keep the grin off her face. “I have been dying to tell someone all week. You have no idea. When you broke his neck and he just sort of crumpled that thing shut off and was just lying there, you know? Thought maybe I could start a collection.”

“He'll give it back,” Brei'yu said, frowning at the pout on Kaliyo's lips. “Put your name on it somewhere, he won't keep it.”

Westan listened to Brei's voice fade away as his team walked out. Vector paused at the door, looked back at him with a look he couldn't read. “I know,” Westan said. “I know. I borked something up. Again.”

Vector turned his head, looking down the hall after the women. “Do you love her, Agent?”

Adris Westan could count on one hand the number of times he'd been shocked into silence. He shouldn't have been surprised when it came to Vector, however. The Joiner still had trouble relating to regular people. He'd lost much of what made him human after the Joining, and the casual knowledge of how to converse was just one facet that tripped the other man up. Spending so much time with Westan's crew had helped to remind him of his humanity, but like a child, sometimes Vector just told it like it was. Or outright asked how it was.

When Westan didn't answer right away, Vector nodded and Westan was certain he was seeing resignation on the Joiner's face. It was hard to tell sometimes.

Finally, his tongue started working again. “Once, a long time ago I would have said yes without hesitation. When I was still a kid, and when I didn't know any better. If I had any idea that she might love me in return, then yeah. I think I could be in love with her. But that's not how it is. That's not how I work. And Brei? When she does something it's with her entire self. There's no room for anything else. She never was in love with me, however much she loved, and loves me.”

Vector put his hand on the door frame and seemed to sag against it. His head was bowed, his free hand fisted at his side.

Westan began to worry that Vector was ill. Which would be unfortunate as this plan really needed him for it to work. “Vector? Are you alright?”

Vector regained some semblance of his composure. “We are... We are not ill,” he said as though reading Westan's mind. “We didn't realize how much we wished to hear that. To know it.”

“I'm afraid I'm not getting what you're saying.”

“It is both a comfort and a grief that you do not desire her. We... we know she will never look at us the way we wish her to, but knowing that we do not lose her to you, who we see as our brother...” Vector's thoughts trailed away as Westan's mouth fell open.

“Are... are you... What are you saying? Do you... um.” Westan watched Vector straighten. The other man's face was serene again, his hands clasped in front of him, his posture relaxed.

“We are in love with Brei'yu.”

The statement was so final, so assured. So Westan immediately felt like an idiot when “Are you sure?” tumbled out of his mouth.

Vector nodded once.

Westan took a moment to process. Vector allowed him the silence to do so. “I'm not going to tell you you're wrong, Vector,” Westan said after a moment. “But I do want to make sure you know what you are getting into.”

Vector slanted his head to side. “We are getting into nothing, Agent.”

“But you just said-”

“A confession between friends. Between brothers that goes no further than this room.”

Confusion had Westan shaking his head. “So what? You don't want her to know?”

“You said yourself, Brei'yu gives her all in all things. She doesn't notice us, and we understand why. When this is over, we don't believe she will stay. This is better. For all.”

“Look, Vector,” Westan sighed in a gush, putting his words in order in his head. “Brei's pretty... reckless. Sure. She's also loud, sarcastic, and more than a little bitter. But more than that, and I say this as her best friend because as much as she hates it, I am. Brei is also unobservant. But only when it comes to her. Herself. That girl could tell you how many stripes were down a Twi'lek's lekku from fifty paces while he was turning a corner in a sandstorm, but you ask her what she ate for breakfast, she's going to have no idea for a good ten minutes. She's noticed you, but you're so damn... serene, so-” Westan waved his hand around the air by head, looking for the word he wanted. “Emotionless around her. Now I know you aren't devoid of emotion. But she hasn't seen what I know.”

“We are content,” Vector said.

“Great! That's great. Be content. But don't let being content stagnate you. You came with me to show the Kiliks the universe. To help them experience what's beyond the hives on Alderaan.”

“What are you saying?”

“I'm saying quit being lame. You're not afraid to take a blaster shot to the face. So I know you're not afraid of a little emotion.” Westan rubbed his chin, remembered idly that he needed to shave and wondered if he had time for that before Brei'yu drug him off the ship and down planetside. But more to the point, he liked this idea of Vector having interest in Brei'yu. It could have been Temple for all it mattered, but Westan liked this human vulnerability in Vector.

The men eyed each other as Westan nodded along with the ideas flying through his head. “Yeah, we can do this.”

“I'm sorry? We can do what?” Vector asked, feeling a sudden trepidation.